Tables for the rest of the year?

[dtown8532]

Just so everyone knows, we're probably not going to see the following tables show up on The Pinball Arcade until FarSight has the emulation of Williams System 11 running 100%.

Well, I guess this is why we haven't seen Taxi yet. A lot of us have been guessing it each month (myself included) but its been a no show each time. Probably no Pinbot anytime soon. Attack From Mars and Space Shuttle for the next release? I think this was a Pin Wiz guess.

 

[Richard B]

I would prefer a Space Station instead of a Space Shuttle, cause I have a Space Station Machine

If you have the real life version, why would you want the TPA version?

 

[bavelb]

Well, I guess this is why we haven't seen Taxi yet. A lot of us have been guessing it each month (myself included) but its been a no show each time. Probably no Pinbot anytime soon. Attack From Mars and Space Shuttle for the next release? I think this was a Pin Wiz guess.

Yea, they stated they wanted system 11, and soon after we'd see Taxi (can't wait).

 

[Matt McIrvin]

If you have the real life version, why would you want the TPA version?

I know a guy who has a Theatre of Magic, but finds himself playing the TPA version more often than the real machine, which has a few parts that need replacing...

 

[Richard B]

I know a guy who has a Theatre of Magic, but finds himself playing the TPA version more often than the real machine, which has a few parts that need replacing...

Let me guess. . . the trunk? It makes sense he'd play the TPA version if his real machine is broken, but if I had any fully operational machines, I would never play their TPA counterparts, except, perhaps, to remind myself of how much more awesome the real thing is.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

If you have the real life version, why would you want the TPA version?

Because it's somewhat impractical to take a 250 lb table with you while traveling, among other reasons.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

Just so everyone knows, we're probably not going to see the following tables show up on The Pinball Arcade until FarSight has the emulation of Williams System 11 running 100%.

Bad Cats
Banzai Run
Big Guns
Black Knight 2000
Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball
Cyclone
Diner
Dr Dude
Earthshaker
Elvira ATPM
F-14 Tomcat
Fire!
Game Show
Grand Lizard
High Speed
Jokerz!
Millionaire
Mousin' Around!
Pin•Bot
Police Force
Pool Sharks
Radical!
Riverboat Gambler
Road Kings
Rollergames
Space Station
Swords of Fury
Taxi
Transporter
Whirlwind

Thats quite a list of very popular tables. My personal favorite ERA. I hope they emulate sys11roms ASAP! If they can nail that down it would be HUGE for their library possibilities. LESS GOTLIEB tables.

 

[RetroDude]

Firepower was actually one of my favorite tables in PHoF, along with Pin*Bot and Taxi. I seem to be nearly alone in this.

You are hardly alone.
Apparently some folks are more of video game fans dabbling in pinball.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

You are hardly alone.
Apparently some folks are more of video game fans dabbling in pinball.

Just because some of us prefer more recent tables does not mean we're merely dabbling. Although to be honest, I greatly enjoyed Taxi, Firepower, and Sorcerer in PHOF, even more so because I've never played the last two in real life. (I have played a Firepower II, though that's not the same.)

 

[Crush3d_Turtle]

Just so everyone knows, we're probably not going to see the following tables show up on The Pinball Arcade until FarSight has the emulation of Williams System 11 running 100%.

I am amazed that getting System 11 emulation working wasn't one of the higher priority things for them. There were so many classic tables, many of which did not have an external commercial license for the theme. It is a shame that we will have to wait for these tables since a pack containing Pin*Bot and Highspeed should sell like crazy.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I am amazed that getting System 11 emulation working wasn't one of the higher priority things for them. There were so many classic tables, many of which did not have an external commercial license for the theme. It is a shame that we will have to wait for these tables since a pack containing Pin*Bot and Highspeed should sell like crazy.

That may have been the original plan, and then they possibly ran into unexpected difficulty. These ROMs are finicky beasts; everything must be just so in the emulated environment or they'll scream.

 

[Stormchild]

I personally think that pinball development peaked with the WPC 95 games like AFM, MM, CV and MB. I find the Stern games rather hit and miss. LotR and Spiderman are great and I've come round to liking Ripley's, but the rest I've played leave me rather cold. I would say that the best of the Sterns rule sets are on a par with mid-90s Williams. Not so much deeper as less easy to understand. As someone else on here pointed out - how do you know what to aim for when everything is flashing?

Yup to all of the above.

I do like a few of the Stern tables, but rule-wise the design seems pretty much the same across all of them. They tend to stick to a well-worn formula and just wrap different themes and playfields around it.

 

[Richard B]

They also seem to be doing them in order, from newest to oldest. You'd think the simpler hardware would be easiest, but often that isn't the case, since it often has little in common with newer technology. Also, don't forget there are still many unlicensed tables that use their currently emulated technology, that are better than any of the tables on that list.

 

[Fuseball]

I should think that the modern DMD tables are still rather time-consuming to recreate, given the number of custom playfield toys found on the majority of them. Personally, I like the pairing of a DMD game with something simpler each time. Getting System 11 (and earlier) emulated gives them a far greater range of games to pair with more modern titles without resorting to manually scripting older games, which has proved problematic and buggy.

It's a little frustrating knowing that the Stern system is successfully emulated but the licensed nature of almost everything they release is potentially stopping them from coming to TPA.

 

[Sean]

I'm also a huge fan of Firepower and since it was one of the first tables I ever remember playing I'd really like to see Firepower II as well. Defender is another must for me since I never even knew there was a Defender pinball until this past year and that's my favourite video game of all time and the one arcade machine I think I would someday acquire.

 

[Fuseball]

I'm also a huge fan of Firepower and since it was one of the first tables I ever remember playing I'd really like to see Firepower II as well. Defender is another must for me since I never even knew there was a Defender pinball until this past year and that's my favourite video game of all time and the one arcade machine I think I would someday acquire.

The Defender pinball is fantastic as well. Remarkably complex for a game of its age. A friend of mine has a restored one and I love playing it. Defender and Robotron are my two favourite video games and I have a Defender sat right behind me as I type this.

 

[Rayman1103]

Just so everyone knows, we're probably not going to see the following tables show up on The Pinball Arcade until FarSight has the emulation of Williams System 11 running 100%.

Bad Cats
Banzai Run
Big Guns
Black Knight 2000
Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball
Cyclone
Diner
Dr Dude
Earthshaker
Elvira ATPM
F-14 Tomcat
Fire!
Game Show
Grand Lizard
High Speed
Jokerz!
Millionaire
Mousin' Around!
Pin•Bot
Police Force
Pool Sharks
Radical!
Riverboat Gambler
Road Kings
Rollergames
Space Station
Swords of Fury
Taxi
Transporter
Whirlwind

There's some great Pinball tables in that list, also a lot that I haven't played before. Hopefully the masters at FarSight can get the emulator running 100% soon, as I'd love to play these tables.

 

[Richard B]

There's some great Pinball tables in that list, also a lot that I haven't played before. Hopefully the masters at FarSight can get the emulator running 100% soon, as I'd love to play these tables.

There's a few turkeys in there (Bad Cats, Jokerz, Rollergames), as well as some I'm not familiar with, but a majority would be a welcome addition to TPA.

 

[Rayman1103]

There's a few turkeys in there (Bad Cats, Jokerz, Rollergames), as well as some I'm not familiar with, but a majority would be a welcome addition to TPA.

Ah, I've never played them so I wouldn't know. Every table might not appeal to everyone, so there's always a chance some people may find them fun. But mostly everyone will agree if a table is good or bad. By the sounds of it, those 3 you've mentioned aren't the greatest tables, and I'll take your word on that

 

[Richard B]

Ah, I've never played them so I wouldn't know. Every table might not appeal to everyone, so there's always a chance some people may find them fun. But mostly everyone will agree if a table is good or bad. By the sounds of it, those 3 you've mentioned aren't the greatest tables, and I'll take your word on that

Rollergames is cheesy beyond belief (though that does give it a certain charm.) It also holds the dubious distinction for being the first game to feature advertising on the playfield (not counting advertisement machines, like the El Dorado clone for Canada Dry).
Jokerz has a decent playfield and rules, but the sound effects are boring, with no voice whatsoever, giving the table a generic feel.
Bad Cats sucks because of higher authority than my personal opinion. Truth is I like Bad Cats, with it's cute theme, memorable music and sounds, fairly interesting layout, and lots of adorable cats. That doesn't matter, though, since designer Barry Oursler said it was one of the few tables he made that he is ashamed of. If the designer is ashamed of his own table, it officially sucks, and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.